Mazda Class Action Alleges Daytime Running Lights Defect

The daytime running lights in the 2016 Mazda CX-5 burn out prematurely, according to a Mazda class action lawsuit lodged in a California federal court.

Lead plaintiff Jami Kidd alleges that since at least 2014, Mazda knew of a significant defect that causes the daytime running lights in their vehicles to burn out far sooner than expected.

The plaintiff says the defect presents a safety hazard to Mazda drivers and other motorists.

“The safety benefits of daytime running lights are well recognized,” notes the complaint. “Studies have shown that the presence of daytime running lights reduces daytime multiple-vehicle crashes, especially head-on and front-corner collisions where vehicle conspicuity is a concern, by as much as ten percent.”

According to the Mazda class action lawsuit, Kidd purchased a 2016 Mazda CX-5 from a dealership in April 2015. The plaintiff says that within the first year of her car purchase, the daytime running lights on her Mazda burnt out. When she asked the dealership to repair them, they allegedly told her the lights were not covered by the warranty and would cost up to $1,500 to fix.

Kidd says she decided to forgo the repair due to the cost and, one year later, the lights on the other side of her Mazda went out as well.

The plaintiff alleges that she would not have purchased or paid as much for her Mazda vehicle had she known the running lights would burn out prematurely.

The Mazda class action lawsuit claims that the car maker knew of the defect through a number of sources before customers and the public could know, including through “pre-production testing, pre-production design failure mode and analysis data, production design failure mode and analysis data, early consumer complaints made exclusively to Mazda’s network of dealers and directly to Mazda, aggregate warranty data compiled from Mazda’s network of dealers, testing conducted by Mazda in response to consumer complaints, and repair order and parts data received by Mazda from Mazda’s network of dealers.”

The plaintiff points to numerous customer complaints about the Mazda running lights defect. Despite this information, alleges the complaint, Mazda concealed this information.

The Mazda class action lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide Class of 2016 Mazda CX-5 owners, along with a subclass of Illinois residents. The plaintiff accuses Mazda of fraud, breach of warranty, and fraudulent concealment.

The Mazda class action lawsuit is seeking a warranty extension to cover the running lights defect, reimbursement to Class Members for money spent repairing the defect, and damages.

Do you own a 2016 Mazda CX-5? Have you had problems with your running lights? Tell us more!

The lead plaintiff and proposed Class Members are represented by Mark S. Greenstone of Greenstone Law APC and Lionel Z. Glancy, Marc L. Godino, and Danielle L. Manning of Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP.

The Mazda Class Action Lawsuit is Kidd v. Mazda Motor of America Inc., Case No. 8:19-cv-02119-JVS-JDE, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California – Southern Division.

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